Monthly Archives: April 2014

A man was crushed to death when a giant crucifix dedicated to Pope John Paul II collapsed and fell on him, ITV News reports. The accident came just days before a historic canonization that will see the late pope declared a saint.

The 98-foot-high wooden and concrete cross fell during a ceremony in the Italian Alpine village of Cevo on Thursday, killing 21-year-old student Marco Gusmini. Another man was taken to hospital.

The structure was dedicated to John Paul II on his visit to the region in 1998.

“The policy of the United States is clear. The Senkaku islands are administered by Japan and therefore fall within the scope of Article 5 of the US-Japan Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security.”

“(W)e oppose any unilateral attempts to undermine Japan’s administration of these islands.”

Beijing’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang responded saying:

Washington “should respect the facts, in a responsible manner abide by its commitment not to choose sides over a territorial sovereignty issue, be cautious on words and deeds and earnestly play a constructive role for peace and stability in the region.”

Much more than a territorial dispute is at stake. Regional tensions could erupt into something much more serious.

Washington wants Russia and China contained. It wants them isolated, weakened and co-opted.

It wants them transformed into US-controlled vassal states. Great conflicts begin this way.

Obama warned Russia. Sanctions are “teed up and ready to go,” he said.

“Assuming they do not follow through, we will follow through with what we said, which is that there will be additional consequences.”

Expect them “in days, not weeks,” he added. He lied saying Moscow isn’t “abiding by the spirit or letter” of Geneva four-party agreement terms.

“So far the evidence doesn’t make me hopeful,” he said. “We have been preparing for the prospect that we have to engage in further sanctions.”

They require “technical work” and coordination with other countries. “There are some things the United States can do alone but ultimately it’s going to have to be a joint effort, a collective effort.”

“The fact I haven’t announced them yet, doesn’t mean they aren’t” ready to be implemented.

On Wednesday, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki lied claiming menacing Russian hoards “mass(ed) on the border of a country they’ve just illegally occupied…”

“Were talking about illegally occupied buildings in eastern Ukraine where the legitimate government is taking steps to ensure there’s law and order, versus tens of thousands of troops in a threatening position on the border of the country,” she said.

New sanctions are expected to target high-level Kremlin officials as well as entities they oversea. Others on key Russian industries may follow depending on events as they unfold.

Putin responded to Obama’s threats. He did so from a St. Petersburg media forum. Sanctions “are absolutely not critical in nature, but you can’t of course say they are a good thing,” he said.

Russia isn’t planning to punish Visa and Mastercard, he added. “We are not envisioning any steps to punish the careless partners, but they have undermined their credibility, meaning they will definitely lose the market,” he said.

Lives of Russian nationals are threatened. Lavrov said they won’t be left unprotected. Targeting them is attacking the Russian Federation, he said.

US paratroops arrived in Poland. They’re the first ones in Eastern Europe since Ukrainian crisis conditions erupted.

They’re Vicenza-based 173rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team members. They arrived a day after the Pentagon announced plans to deploy 600 US forces to Poland, Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania.

Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby said they’re part of a series of rotational deployments. They’ll continue throughout 2014. Perhaps into 2015.

“Russia’s aggression in Ukraine has renewed our resolve to strengthening NATO’s defense plans and capabilities, and to demonstrate our continued commitment to collective defense in reinforcing our NATO allies in central and eastern Europe,” he said.

Deploying them isn’t symbolic, he added. “Any time you put troops on the ground and doing exercises, in this case for a month at a time, it’s more than symbology.”

“The kind of work that we’re going to be doing is real infantry training. And that’s not insignificant.”

Former Polish foreign minister Witold Waszczykowski called it “a first step to change our security status.”

“We hope this is one of the many steps to enhance the security of Poland and central Europe,” he added.

“Fifteen years ago, when we joined NATO, it was a second-class, class B membership. It was a completely different geopolitical situation.”

“We expected Russia would, many of us hoped would, follow along with democratization. We know now we were living under an illusion.”

Don’t expect Journal editors to explain. They lied claiming he was convicted on “trumped-up corruption charges.” He was caught red-handed.

He’s under house arrest. He awaits trial on other grand theft charges. He “warned for years that an authoritarian Putin would eventually become a threat to the West, but they were dismissed by Westerners who said it was none of our business,” said Journal editors.

“Now we can see who was right, as Mr. Putin carves up Ukraine, with more of Europe potentially on the menu.”

Truth is polar opposite duplicitous Journal editor claims.

Days earlier, they headlined “Putin’s Westward March: Revisionist powers are rising as Obama and Europe fail to respond.”

Putin “refuse(s) to withdraw his troops massed at the border. (He’s) ready to invade if he pleases…”

“All of this continues the pattern of Mr. Obama and Europe underestimating the Russian strongman.”